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Two major drilling related incidents in Texas today

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In my blog post yesterday, I quoted Devon representative Gilbert Horton’s comments at the Denton City Council meeting and awarded him the baloney prize.

The drilling industry has drilled thousands of wells with no major accident (he didn’t mention all the accidents that are hidden here ).

It’s early and look where we are today:

Incident one:

GhostBlogger December 6, 2012 at 8:22 am [edit]

Ho hum, just *another* routine gas pipeline explosion, this time raining rocks the size of bowling balls & destroying utility poles around the Goldsmith TX area:

http://www.oaoa.com/news/fire_and_rescue/article_834541cc-3f60-11e2-9c44-001a4bcf6878.html

This gas pipeline was *only* 16 inches at 500 psi, so, just think what a 30 inch gas gathering line at 1200 psi will do in suburban areas. It won’t matter if it’s gathering or transmission when they fail, they still wipe out the area nearby.

Spin that incident, Mr. Horton.

UPDATE: For some nice photos of the Goldsmith plant pre explosion click HERE. Thanks to the reader to sent it in. His comment: Not my vacation spot. 

Incident two:

Skytruth Alert: NRC Report: Natural Gas near Yoakum, TX 2012-12-05
Report Details
NRC Report ID: 1032336
Incident Time: 2012-12-05 02:18:00
Nearest City: Yoakum, TX
Location: 3721 NORTH US HWY 77A
Incident Type: PIPELINE
Material: NATURAL GAS
Medium Affected: AIR
Suspected Responsible Party: ENTERPRISE PRODUCT PIPELINE
SkyTruth Analysis
Lat/Long: 29.275629, -97.177030 (Approximated from route)
Report Description
CALLER IS REPORTING A DISCHARGE OF NATURAL GAS FROM A PIPELINE HARP DUE TO LEVEL INDICATOR BRIDAL THAT RUPTURED. CALLER STATED THAT 10-20 EMPLOYEES WERE EVACUATED.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

Comments

  1. GhostBlogger says

    And, those were not the only recent pipeline incidents. Shell just had a 12 inch ethylene pipeline leak in Louisiana:

    http://www.kplctv.com/story/20276062/crews-work-to-repair-pipeline-leak-in-bell-city

    http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-12-06/shell-spills-ethylene-during-pipeline-failure-nrc-filing-shows

    Only 20 Fire Dept. units on standby there? I wonder if Shell will reimburse them for that, that’s some serious cash to tie up that many first responders. Even Volunteer Fire Dept.’s have expenses.

  2. Andy Mechling says

    This DCP Goldsmith facility is enormous; it is all about extracting Natural Gas Liquids from Sour Gas. The history of accidents is extensive.

    Upset conditions at this plant can be expected to have serious “ripple effects” at a multitude of connected facilities, and there is much history of this.

    Please look for yourselves. These guys are famous.
    Was that a transmission line that let go? Was that pipeline spec methane in that line? Or something else entirely? It wasn’t “condensate” was it? It wasn’t “diluent” was it? Is there a spec availabe?

    • GhostBlogger says

      If it was a gathering/production line, the details will remain hidden in the TRRC files, I suspect.

    • GhostBlogger says

      WOW! I just saw a link about DCP Midstream’s woes:

      http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/06/opinion/will-dcp-midstream-endanger-public-for-corporate-profit/

      Yes, an opinion piece, but it had good links:

      “The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality website shows 59 administrative orders for violations at DCP Midstream facilities since 2001. In 2011 and 2012, DCP was fined $1,046,315 and $631,628 respectively. There were also seven separate cases before the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration for DCP Midstream’s failure to comply with required safety inspections of pipelines. DCP did not respond to the notice but just sent money to cover the fine.”

  3. Andy Mechling says

    In some of the process diagrams published for this facility; the flow chart depicts product streams for NGL production; as well as a stream of “sales gas”. The confusing part is that the same stream is also labeled “residue”.

    In oilfield jargon, “residue” has a very specific meaning, even if these prodicts remain poorly defined.

    I suspect that the line that exploded was not pipeline spec methane at all; but a far more contaminated product destined for market on the oilfields.

  4. Andy Mechling says

    I recall reading an article earlier this year involving a sour has project in BC Canada. Local regulators were miffed because the drillers refused to bring the NGLs (as propane or butane) to market for local consumption. Apparently, due to high demand for pipeline diluent, the economics of the situation favored NOT cleaning the gas up at all, NOT bringing the NGLs to market, but selling these liquids as condensate/diluent for use in the gas patch and tar sands.

  5. GhostBlogger says

    And, a NuStar petroleum pipeline in Nebraska, that leaked only 150 gallons of gasoline on Thanksgiving, is right now having lots of dirt removed:

    http://www.yorknewstimes.com/news/activity-continues-at-site-of-gas-pipeline-leak/article_5282c1c8-403b-11e2-8626-0019bb2963f4.html

    “A representative of NU Star indicated by telephone that their spokesperson, Greg Matula, would be responding with a written statement regarding the situation. As of press time, the News-Times had not yet received that statement.”

    Strange to wait several weeks to clean up there. Why do I think this spilled more than 150 gallons now? Yet, the O&G industry mantra of “trust us” goes on. Gilbert Horton should feel pretty good about getting just the Baloney Award here, instead of the Bull “manure” one.

  6. TXsharon says

    Another accident happened yesterday. Four workers on a rig in West Texas received serious burns and injuries when there was an explosion. I have not yet been able to Google up any news about it.

  7. GhostBlogger says

    A Goldsmith update:

    http://www.cbs7kosa.com/news/details.asp?ID=39673

    “The pipeline incident that occurred yesterday evening at approximately 6:00 PM took place during an integrity management pressure test required by pipeline safety regulations. WTG is working and cooperating with the Texas Railroad Commiss
    ion and other inspectors to identify the cause of the incident and will continue with this ongoing investigation…”

    I understand pipelines can pressure test their pipes with gas in Class 1 areas. Legal loophole, but, very unwise. People get killed by gas pipeline failures in Class 1 areas. I guess they don’t know what a hydrostatic test is.

  8. GhostBlogger says

    I just found this mentioned:

    April 23, 1990

    REDWATER – About 2,000 residents began returning to their homes in this northeast Texas town Sunday after the dissipation of hydrogen sulfide gas that had leaked from an oil well and injured three people.

    Three Bowie County sheriff’s deputies were treated at Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana and later released. Authorities began allowing residents to return to their homes about 11:30 a.m. but cautioned them to air out their houses.

  9. GhostBlogger says

    October 26, 1998

    BRYCELAND, La. — A seventh worker died Sunday from injuries suffered in a natural gas well explosion, and authorities retrieved the charred remains of five other workers from the well’s fiery wreckage.

    The well blew up Saturday as 13 workers prepared it to begin pumping natural gas. It continued to burn through the day Sunday, sending flames 100 feet or more into the air.

    • Rebecca says

      That 7th worker was my husbands brother, he died 12 hours after the explosion. I read the entire deposition that my husband had given not even 24 hours after the tragedy occurred, and it is the saddest most surreal document I have ever read, will ever read, and to think that EVERY word I read was my husbands reality. The day that they laid his brother in the ground was the last day that a tear would roll down my husband’s face. I have NEVER seen him cry, not even as much as 1 single tear, we have been together for right at 10 years. It truly just breaks my heart that the man I love more than my very life itself has had to experience such heartbreak & tragedy. He lives with this survivors guilt as a result of being the one who made it. He says “why him? he had a wife and 3 young boys, I have nothing, I was a father to nobody, a husband to nobody.” Although I will never know why God didn’t take my husband on October 24, 1998, but I thank him every day that he didn’t take my husband on that day. We will never be able to get that day out our hearts or out of our heads it was the day that violently shook the very foundation of a purpose and meaningful life 4 my husband and his entire family and it has left broken hearts from one family to the next of all of those we lost. God has BIG PLANS for my husband, and I know now more than ever that he is here for a reason, and I am so grateful to be a part of that plan with him, hand & hand & our hearts forever entwined.

  10. GhostBlogger says

    July 16, 1996

    GIDDINGS — Friends watched in horrified fascination Monday as heavy-equipment operators pulled pieces of oil-field debris away from the searing well fire that killed two men.

    “They’ve got to drag all that hot iron away from the well, because if they don’t, then when they blow it, the fire could start up again,” said Dan Davidson, a pipe handler and 21-year friend of J.E. Traweek Jr.